Getting Familiar with Mold
When attempting to remove mold in your home,
you should understand the mold problem.
Without knowledge about what allows mold to
grow and what mold needs to survive, you may
not be able to effectively get rid of all of the mold
that has started to grow in your home.

How Mold Grows
First, mold is not very finicky and can thrive if it
only has three basic things. Mold needs nutrients
and there are many organic materials that provide
the mold with the nutrients that it will need to
continue to thrive.
In nature, mold is able to take nutrients from
decomposing or dying materials. Unfortunately,
when mold starts growing in your home you may
find that it is getting all of its nutrients from the
wood in your walls, the sheetrock or any other
organic material that is within your home.
Mold also needs a suitable place to grow. It needs
to be able to flourish and sustain itself on the materials that are present.
When dust settles in your home, the dust can be a great sustaining factor for mold. Although it
may seem impossible, mold is able to sustain itself from the dust that settles throughout your
home.
The last thing that mold needs to survive is moisture. Mold will thrive in an environment in
which it is able to receive moisture and soak up the moisture.
This is why mold is more common in the homes that are located in humid areas. When there is
already a high concentration of moisture in your air, mold will have a higher rate of success and
growth within your home.
The moisture that the mold needs to survive can come from any source of water. Whether it is
the humidity in the air or a recent flood, mold can start growing as soon as these three factors
line up and a mold spore is introduced to the environment.

Getting Rid of Mold Spores
Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to
ensure that there are no mold spores in
your home. There will always be mold
spores and pieces of mold cells floating
throughout your home and because of
this it is important to focus your efforts
on taking away what the mold needs to
survive.
When mold starts to grow and multiply
in your home, it may cause damage to
your home and it may also be detrimental
to the health of those that spend time
inside of your home. The mold will send
off microscopic cells, called spores, into the air within your home.
Those that are allergic to those spores may breathe in the spores and have a bad reaction. The
respiratory problems that can be a result of breathing in spores can be severe.
As soon as you find mold in your home, a mold removal program should be put into place.
Develop a strategy or call a professional to ensure your mold removal process is effective and
will take place as quickly as possible.
Once your mold removal is successful, you will be able to breathe easier in your home. Always
stay on the lookout for mold, because you do not know when it will return and you will need to
institute your mold removal program one more time.
Photo Credit: L*Ali, Mattbatt0